50 years ago, on February 7, 1964, three nervous but excited
Liverpudlians landed at one of the most famous airports in the world. And
although the Beatles would become world famous too, they had yet to make a name
for themselves outside of Great Britain.
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| Beatles land at JFK. Photo courtesy: ringofstars.ru |
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They flew in on PanAm flight 101 from London and touched down at
JFK at 1:20 pm. It was their first ever time in the US and it did not
disappoint. They were greeted by thousands of screaming girls and a
flurry of reporters.
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| Girls lined up on the observation deck desperately vying for the attention of the Englishmen. Photo courtesy: ringofstars.ru |
Many girls, so excited by the presence of these British Rock N Rollers,
were reduced to tears and some even fainted -- the emotion was palpable.
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| Crowds went mental for the newcomers. Photo courtesy: ringofstars.ru |
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After posing for photos on the tarmac, they took questions from
the press in the PanAm terminal in what would be one of their most famous press
conferences. Their back and forth between the reporters was sharp and witty.
Asked at one point their thoughts on Beethoven, Ringo Starr
answered, “Great, especially his poems.”
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| Beatles, quipping with reporters, at their first U.S. Press Conference. Photo courtesy: ringofstars.ru |
Their funny accents, mop-top haircuts and popular tunes took
America by storm, resulting in widespread Beatlemania -- which is somewhat akin
to Bieber Fever from the looks of it. According to Capitol, they had the
fastest selling album in history.
All in, it was a landmark arrival for the Beatles as well as the
rest of the nation. They went on to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, which was, in true Beatles style, a smashing
success.
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| This article accurately captures the tone of the airport reception as "delirious". Photo courtesy: rarenewspapers.com |
Fans from all over the world
poured into JFK today to celebrate the anniversary, although they didn’t quite
match the gusto of that first reception in 1964. The Port Authority hosted the event at the renovated
TWA Flight Center with a musical performance from Beatles tribute band,
Liverpool. All in, sounds like a great way to celebrate the day.
